dolls & toys

I feel it–the summer season is beginning to fade. Masses of flowers are staying bloomed a bit longer, now that they aren’t so quickly baked in the sun. There’s a cool morning breeze that teases us, only making way to warm midday temps. The occasional wind gusts whip through and scatter petals all over like confetti. This is when I begin to beckon the sweater weather by baking everything with pumpkin and cloves and leaving an apple cider candle lit all day. This is when I eat entirely too much bread. And yes, I break a sweat waiting for a pie to finish baking. Completely worth it.

In spite of my baked-sweets Fall summoning, it comes in it’s own slow-as-molasses timing. As soon as it’s here, it’s gone. The seemingly shortest, most beautiful season. As soon as it passes I feel like I spend the whole year waiting for next fall. Here in the Southwest, I feel like the Dog Days of Summer last soooo much longer than in other regions.

Though the trees have yet to turn golden, I’ll take my time and enjoy the rest of what the warm sunshine has to offer in this last week of summer–no matter that it feels like an eternity. Besides, as the seasons grow and change, so do my kids. And I’d be okay if that would slow down.

Here’s a few things we’ve been working on, eaten, or enjoyed looking at while the weather hasn’t complied with our desires. If you’d like to see some more of those adorable rattles, view them here.

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As you may have seen sneak peeks on our Etsy and Instagram–we will now be incorporating some more kid-friendly items! The new Out of the Thistle® Whimsicals include rattles and dolls! These items are still 100% handmade, crocheted from 100% wool. They are created with the intent of being passed down for many generations. Their unique design allow for young children to easily hold and play with the new dolls and rattles. These toys have heirloom-quality, yet they are durable enough for everyday play. they are also visually appealing to fit perfectly into any child bedroom décor.

These dolls and rattles were put through a vigorous washing technique to shrink them, making them firm and durable. Their soft exterior makes them safer to play with, as well!

You may view all new items in our Etsy shop while our website is under construction. Be on the lookout for more whimsical designs!

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These three little cuties are now available on our website! They are the perfect size for being toted around by your little one. I hand-knit them with 100% American wool (from Quince & Co), then I put them through a process to shrink ’em up! The result: a more durable, fuzzy knit that holds its shape. I can’t even fully explain how much of a difference there is in just the feel of shrunken (felted) knitted dolls compared to regularly knitted ones. They just feel more substantial, yet… light-weight.

They are jointed (buttons are decorative) so they can sit on a shelf with ease.

They have shapely features such as curved paws and feet and a perfectly puckered nose. Each little bunny is wearing a hand knitted alpaca, flutter-sleeve vest that ties in the front, and each one has a coordinating 100% cotton skirt (made from Liberty of London fabric). The outfits are completely removable for ease of cleaning. Standing at about 12.5″ tall, they are the perfect size for squeezing. xx

Keep an eye out for more of these one-of-a-kind softies on our website! Thanks for looking!

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First thing we’d like to report: all knitters and crocheters can purchase any Out of the Thistle pattern for just $4.99!! We have patterns available on our website, on Etsy, and on Ravlery! {links to the right}

Second announcement: We have a new pattern available! It is for this adorable, unusual bear–this bear was crocheted from 100% wool, then shrunken for a fuzzier/denser fur! It is called “Tea for Ted,” and the finished bear looks perfectly poised inside a tea cup.

{Ted also doesn’t mind joining in on tea parties}

This pattern gives the instructions on crocheting the bear, then on how to felt it (if desired).

We’ve also made a few additions to our website, if you’d like to have a look!

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You know, the ones where you have a ton of friends and family in town, doing renovations for the elders and celebrating birthdays. And there’s a giant waterslide/bounce house in your driveway with a dozen kids running in and out, leaving puddles everywhere. It is loud, yet wonderful. And in the slivers of quiet moments, you work on your knitting–trying to meet a deadline… a deadline you told everyone to “mark the calendars” for. And you’ve been practicing shrinking wool for like eight months now, and you’re so excited that you THINK you’ve perfected it. Your mom (the master at it) offers to help finish shrinking a couple of dolls that you still have left to do. And she super-shrinks it (which is what you wanted!), but you realize that the waist is a good inch smaller than your other dolls (which may as well be a mile). And that’s fine and dandy. But, you’ve already jointed all your other dolls, which now must be cut apart and shrunken more. Oh, and don’t forget that you made 27 dresses for them. TWENTY SEVEN. And it won’t work, because you wanted to give people an option to purchase different outfits for the dolls–which means that they’d all have to be the same size. And so here you are, a 29-year-old woman, crying into doll dresses…

… and you’re cursing your ambition and praying for sanity. And you’re thinking that working in customer service at the bank doesn’t seem so bad now. That maybe, handling dental insurance claims was just a walk in the park.

And when you pull it together after going through the seven stages of grief with your tiny knitted dolls, you begin to amputate those limbs and get back to work. Because, it’s what you truly love to do.

Then you pour yourself another cup of coffee, eat birthday cake for breakfast, and pray that it won’t be another year before you get these done. And you share your experience and honesty with other ‘Purveyors of Perfection’ and hope that they’ll have a good laugh, maybe even sympathize. That they’ll understand the strife in striving for better, in knowing that settling is not an option. And now you’re truly understanding that being a ‘maker’ is so much more than just “making.”

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With the big changes in this company’s name and appearance, we have also decided to step even further from our old ‘image.’

There was a time when our first designs were new and unusual, but through the years, were duplicated so much that they just became usual. In light of this, we have decided to indefinitely retire our thread crochet patterns numbers 6-14. As you can see from the patterns below, they are in desperate need of updating!We may bring them back promotionally, eventually. Those that have purchased these patterns, please note that they are still protected by copyright laws, which will be enforced. For now, we would like to continue to differentiate our products and our business.

These patterns will be available for purchase until Mid-May.
Thank you!

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Little snippets behind the family business, Out of the Thistle®. Shared here on the blog: their creations, experiences, tips, and inspirations. Most excerpts written by Rhonda Potteet or her mom, Sue Aucoin.

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